Legislature approves Soldotna water reservoir grant

The Alaska Legislature approved a $2.5 million grant for the City of Soldotna to repair its water reservoir as part of the state’s capital budget.

At the end of last October engineers who inspected a partially collapsed roof on one of the two water tanks determined that the tank should be demolished.

The 500,000 gallon tank, which had been built in 1971, also had a deteriorating foundation. City engineer Kyle Kornelis said the damage could have been caused by many factors from weather to the age of the facility to “lesser” building codes in the 1970s.

The close proximity of the two tanks was a major factor taken into consideration when the decision to demolish the damaged tank was made.

“It was a decision based on what are the ramifications if it collapsed and hit the other one,” Kornelis said.

A special Soldotna City Council session was held, and the council approved approximately $200,000 for the demolition project. The tank was torn down in December.

The city worked with Central Emergency Services to make operating adjustments to the water reservoir system to combat for the lack of water.

“Our water supply is impacted, but we were are confident that we can maintain water supply until we are able to construct our water tank,” Kornelis said.

The water tank currently at the reservoir holds one million gallons of water. It is in good condition.

The state funds will be put solely toward the construction of a new water tank.

“We’re extremely happy to see it in the Legislature’s proposed capital budget,” Kornelis said.